How to stop extra contacts appearing in iOS: why are my partner's contacts showing up on my iPhone?

Why are your family members' contacts showing up in your iPhone or iPad? How can you stop contacts from syncing across devices? Here, we show you how to stop your contacts from showing up on other iOS devices.

Why are your family members' contacts showing up in your iPhone or iPad? How can you stop contacts from syncing across devices? Here, we show you how to stop your contacts from showing up on other iOS devices.

It's common among families to use the same Apple ID. This means you'll be able to download purchased content onto all of the devices associated with that Apple ID without paying multiple times.

However, there are times when this can cause unwanted side effects. One example is that you might find your contacts and calendars appearing on one another's devices. This is thanks to iCloud syncing, which aims to sync all of your information between devices. Apple assumes that every Apple ID is being used by just one individual, and advises that this should always be the case.

So the first thing to consider is setting up separate Apple IDs. It is free to do, but you will no longer be able to share apps and other media between devices.

If that's not an option for you, then you can change the way you use iCloud.

Turn off iCloud Contacts syncing

To prevent contacts from syncing between devices that share the same Apple ID and iCloud account, go to Settings > iCloud and make sure Contacts is not switched on. If it's on (green) your contacts will be syncing to the cloud, and therefore to your partner's device. There are other elements here that you can prevent from sharing between devices too, including Notes, Calendars and Reminders.

Use a different Apple ID for iCloud

There is another option, but it involves setting up a new Apple ID. Apple gives iOS users the option to use one Apple ID for iCloud and a different one for App Store purchases.

This means you can share your App Store purchases with your family by using the same Apple ID for iTunes and the App Store, but keep Contacts, Calendars and other iCloud information separate by using different Apple IDs.

If you want to change the Apple ID you use for iCloud on your device, you can go to Settings > iCloud and then tap Delete Account at the bottom (unless you haven't signed in to iCloud, in which case you can skip that step).

You can then enter the new Apple ID you'd like to use. If you haven't yet set up a new Apple ID for iCloud, you can do for free by tapping the create new Apple ID button at the bottom of the sign in screen.

To change the Apple ID you use for iTunes and App Store purchases, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and tap the Apple ID at the top. You can now sign out and then sign back in using a different Apple ID. Don’t forget, though, that it's your Apple ID that is associated with your iTunes purchases, so you'll want to use the ID you use to buy apps, songs and other media from the iOS App Store here.